Much of public relations is
getting people to notice you. You want the publics
attention and the medias coverage. How do you do
that? Sometimes directly, through media campaigns.
Sometimes through clever use of circumstances, such as
staged events or publicity stunts  some call them
magnet events  they attract attention,
like a magnet. There is no failproof how-to
on how to get media and public attention. You have to
have an intuitive sense as opportunities present
themselves. Lets look at some examples:

A Lithuanian distillery has launched a new
brand of spirit sharing a name with Russia's newest
president: Putin Vodka. The company owners deny any
link of the vodka with Vladimir Putin, even though
the bottle is emblazened with the colors of the
Russian flag. Advertising gurus have applauded the
plan as "brilliant": The distillery has
received tremendous publicity and is getting more
attention with every denial of the Russian link.

Banks are very precise in their accounting,
and each day their ledgers balance out to the penny.
But one clever Los Angeles banker offered his
customers $10 for every bank error they ever found in
their accounts. This appealed to people and brought
in 15-thousand new customers and $65-million in new
deposits within two months.

A chamber of commerce in Japan
published 1,000 handbooks as a member service on how
to deal with news media in a crisis situation. Demand
was so strong the handbooks were all gone in a single
day, and the chamber printed an additional 42,000
copies. The handbook helped to demonstrate the
support provided through chamber membership, as well
as underscored the expanding interest in effective
media relations.

Another American who promotes tourism in
Michigan, a state in America, saw an opportunity in
the 1991 coup against President Gorbachev. He saw how
the coup occurred while Gorbachev was vacationing in
the Crimea. So once the coup was over, the American
put up a billboard welcoming Gorbachev back to power.
And he suggested on the billboard that next time
Gorbachev should vacation in Michigan. That got some
attention.

* * *

You dont need lots of money
to carry on a successful promotion campaign, just a few
rich ideas.

Module 3:Understanding print
and broadcast media: how various media work, how to
present yourself in a professional manner.